212 
THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 
Winter Garden—continued. 
around, while the central beds might be planted with 
some of the subjects mentioned above, according to the 
available height and space. Tea Roses may be trained 
to pillars, also on the roof, if convenient, and numerous 
beautiful conservatory climbers succeed well when 
similarly situated and kept tied. 
WINTERGREEN. See Pyrola. 
WINTERGREEN, AROMATIC OR CREEP- 
ING. See Gaultheria procumbens. 
WINTERGREEN, CHICKWEED. See Trien- 
WINTER MOTHS. A name given, because of the 
time of their appearance, to certain moths belonging to the 
group Geometrina (see Moths), which is characterised by 
the possession of a slendet body, and wings large relatively 
to their size of body. Of the Winter Moths, however, the 
females are wingless, or, rather, possess mere vestiges of 
wings, utterly useless as organs of flight; the males are 
well provided with wings of considerable size. Most of 
the species are included in the genus Hybernia (which 
see); but the insect to which the name is peculiarly 
applied, and which is most widely destructive, is Cheima- 
tobia brumata. In this species the spread of wings of the 
male may reach about llin.; but it is usually under this 
size. Both sexes are greyish-brown, with several indistinct, 
darker, wavy lines or bands across the wings. The female 
is heavier in the body, and has extremely small front wings. 
The moths appear between the beginning of October and 
the end of December. The females must crawl up the 
trees to reach a suitable situation for laying eggs; or they 
may, at times, be carried from one place to another by the 
males. The eggs are usually laid in the crevices of the bark, 
and in other places fitted to give them protection. The 
. larve are bluish-green, with a narrow, dark stripe down the 
middle of the back, and three narrow, white stripes on each 
side. In some the ground-colour is smoky or dark brown. 
They live upon almost all kinds of trees and shrubs. At 
first, they eat into the buds in early spring ; and, when the 
leaves begin to enlarge, the larvæ spin two or more leaves 
together, and feed, protected between them, in safety. 
: When full-fed, they lower themselves to the ground, burrow 
into it, and form earthen cocoons, in which they become 
pups about the end of May or the beginning of June. 
Remedies, The larvs of C. brumata are i 
that it is often most desirable to prevent or to Bente 
ravages, Nothing can be done while the larvæ are in the 
_ buds; but, when nearly full-fed, and living between the 
leaves, they can be dislodged by beating and shaking the 
branches. The shock causes them to lower themselves by 
silken threads, or to fall to the ground. They can thus be 
collected in cloths spread below the plants, or crushed 
under foot. It is well to put a belt of some sticky sub- 
stance on the base of the tree-trunks, to previ 
the ent the re- 
ascent of larve. Digging the soil around the roots 
helps also to lessen the number of pups, b i 
them to the quick eyes of birds, or to sss ræve 
The most effectual remedies are those employed for the 
destruction of the females, and for the prevention of their 
ascent of the tree-trunks. This is effected readily, because 
of the useless nature of their wings, which compels them 
to creep up the trunk, unless at times carried on to the 
trees attached to the males. Whatever substance is used 
it must remain soft and sticky for a day or two. must 
not injure the trunks, and must be renewed sufficient] 
often to keep the surface of the ring of bark eye tama : 
about each second day. Among the best of the teal 
pounds for catching female moths is the substance kn e 
as Davidson’s Composition, or a mixture of tar and e ae 
in equal proportions, d 
WINTERSWEET. See Toxicophlwa spectabilis. 
X 
WINTER WOLF'S-BANE. A common name for 
Eranthis hyemalis (which see). 
WIRE. Wire is extremely useful to florists and gar- 
deners, who eould not well do without it in making up 
bouquets and other personal decorations. Various thick- 
nesses are used, according to the special purpose for which 
it is required: for instance, when flowers have to be 
provided with artificial stalks, short lengths of stiff Wire, 
known as “stubbs,” are used. These are generally procured 
in bundles, cut into Gin. or Sin. lengths, which are found 
most conyenient. Binding Wire is very fine, and is largely 
employed in bouquet-making for securing the short lengths, 
already referred to, to the flowers, and for tying all the 
stalks together. It is wound on reels, and is strong, 
although quite pliable. 
The springs sometimes used for fixing certain kinds of 
flowers in bouquets, so that they shall move about, may 
be readily made by binding tightly the piece of small 
Wire which it is intended should form the spring round a 
piece of a rather larger size, and then slipping off the" 
coil. 
Wire is largely employed for both movable and per- 
manent trellises in glass houses, &c.; for this purpose, 
it is best galvanised, to prevent rusting. - Copper 
binding Wire, in quantities according to requirements, 
should be kept in stock; it is often useful, and there 
are small and large gauges of this made, as well as of 
iron, the other principal metal used in Wire-making. 
Wire netting, and its various uses, such as preserving 
vegetable crops from destruction by rabbits, &c., are 
familiar to everyone The “mesh” refers to the size of 
the spaces; thus Wire netting of lin. mesh has the spaces 
that distance across, and so on with other finer or coarser 
sorts. 
WIREWORMS. The popular name of certain pale 
yellowish - brown, slender larve, possessed of skins so 
tough and hard that they look and feel not unlike short 
pieces of moderately thick wire, flattened from above 
downwards. The body is of uniform thickness, and is 
marked with rings showing the divisions between the 
Fic. 223. WIREWORM. 
segments of which it consists (see Fig. 223). The head 
is small, flattened, and darker than the body. The three 
front body-rings bear each a pair of short, brown, true 
legs, and there is a solitary prehensile foot on the lower 
surface of the conical hindmost segment of the body. 
Wireworms feed near the surface of the soil, but con- 
cealed in it; and they gnaw the stems and roots of 
plants just below its surface. The plants are thereby 
killed, or, at least, very much injured; and the crops 
in gardens, as well as in the fields, are, occasionally, 
seriously damaged from this cause. When the: Wire- 
worms reach their full size, they burrow into the soil 
to a considerable depth, and each forms for itself an 
earthen cocoon. In this it becomes a pupa, usually 
about the end of summer. Many of the Beetles emerg® 
after spending little more than a fortnight in the pup? 
state, but some, probably, do not emerge till the next 
spring or summer. Wireworms vary in size to some 
extent, as they are the larve of many kinds of Beetles, 
all belonging to the family Elateride, but they seldom 
reach lin. in length. They feed on almost all kinds 
of herbaceous plants, but it has been observed 
they avoid Mustard: hence it has been suggested that 
this plant should be sown in ground that is m" 
infested by them, in order to starve them out. t 
The Beetles are well known under one or other © 
